The Mets don’t want to trade Daniel Murphy, but will do it if they receive enough in return, Jayson Stark reported last week (ESPN, July 25).

The Mets were reportedly open to trading him this past off season, but the asking price was ‘substantial,’ according to people who checked in on him (Rubin, Dec. 11).

Murphy, 29, is expected to earn around $9 million through salary arbitration in 2015, after which he can become a free agent, says he is open to signing a contract extension to stay with the Mets.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, based on his position, age and stats, Murphy is likely due a four- or five-year contract extension worth around $12 million per season (MLBTR, June 26).

Matthew Cerrone, Lead Writer

The Mets have to listen. It’s all about getting better. And, if there’s a deal for Murphy that makes the overall team better, Sandy Alderson should consider pulling the trigger. I just don’t think that type of deal is being offered, and they’re certainly not being offered a hitter better than Murphy, which is why I think he’ll be here for a while.

In the end, I believe this front office knows that while Murphy is a good trade chip, he’s most valuable to them here, under contract on a team-friendly deal. Murphy will likely take what is offered to him, and I think he’d take a four-year, $40 million extension, which pays him more than he’ll get through arbitration in 2015, but maybe a bit less than he’d get on the open market. However, he gets security and the Mets get a fixed value. And, there’s nothing to say that, if he keeps hitting, and if 2B prospect Dilson Herrerakeeps hitting, that Murphy and his affordable deal can’t get traded down the road, as well.

Trading Murphy for a solid young bat is the best thing the Mets can do, especially while not giving up too many young guys. But I would suggest they trade him for an OF, not a SS.

Dilson Herrera is apparently being praised by lots of scouts, including analysts Keith Law and Jim Callis, who believe he's going to be a pretty good 2B. He's tearing it up at 20 YEARS OF AGE in AA ball, and if he keeps it up, he'll be a Met by 21 years of age. Let's not forget, he could still improve as he is a Met, so whatever doubts you may have about this kid, he still has a shot to take care of himself and get better even if he starts out slow against MLB pitching.

I think the Mets should trade Murphy for the OF, latest in the offseason, then have Flores play 2B as the stop-gap before Herrera. If Flores can hit consistently, by the time summer 2015 comes around, we can either A) trade him for a young SS in a swap of young stars or B) move him to SS and have him be your difference maker there. I mean, we all know Tejada isn't the future there, so why not play it like this? You really don't lose too many young guys with this method, no?

Murphy makes the team better by staying. A "prospect" that surely is at least a year away from playing regularly is not what I want to hear. We should be ready to contend in '15. The ONLY reason to trade the guy is to help get a prime SS, maybe. "Listen" all you want. And, the Nats? Really?

So once again, the general consensus seems to be that the Mets are 2 bats away from true contention. Ok, is that with or without Murphy? 7th in all of baseball in hits last year, 4th so far this year....

Where is the sense in this move? OK, so the guy has limited range and virtually no baseball smarts. He is a hit machine--currently the ONLY such player on the team. Wright has turned into a very average player (who needs an actual rest once in a while). Andwhile we're on the subject, can you get some AB's for Eric Campbell? He's the only Vegas guy who has hit consistently and he continues to ride the pine while we are forced to watch CY and Bobby Abreu. Honestly, there are times when I really must question Sandy's commitment to winning.

What are we trying to accomplish by trading Murphy who is one of the best hitters on the team? Saving future contract cost seems to be above all considerations. The Mets better hope their SS prospects can fill Murphy's offense.

logic: murphy is our most consistent hitter & you all wanna trade him for what probably isn't going to be that much, because a 'prospect' is playing well in AA?

Herrera is a good 2 years away and what if he struggles when he first comes up like d'Arnaud & Lagares & Duda & Flores and everyone else...thats another 1-2 years before Herrera is our real every day awesome starting 2B that he may not even become.... we can probably re-sign Murphy to a 4 year deal worth $40 million and Herrera can take over for him then... I swear this forum is impossible.

And if I hear another thing about Flores being ANYTHING of the future... Yes, we all want him to play over Tejada, but don't you think that if anyone in the Mets organization (who, i'm sorry, knows more than myself or any of you) saw real high potential in Flores, he would be playing? Time to give it up with Flores, he's not that guy. I think he should play, but people gotta stop pretending like he's the answer to any of the Mets questions, because he clearly is not.

@C.K. Dexter Haven He can't field his position and he cannot run the bases. A guy with his speed should be able to at least give you 15 steals but the guy has no baseball sense. All he is is a bat and we as fans have to stop overrating this guy to the moon.

@Kenneth Meltsner Sandy doesn't fill out the lineup card. Right now Terry only sees Soup as the righty portion of a platoon with Duda, and occasional fill-in for the rest of the infield when someone needs a day off, it would seem. I'd probably try to get him more ABs in LF too with how horrible Young et al. have been there, but what can you do?

@Vee! Except the Mets aren't in it. They're 4 games under .500 and aren't going to sniff the playoffs this year. If the right deal for Murphy pops up now, you make it. There's no reason to wait until the winter. At the same time, there's no rush to do it now, so the Mets don't have to settle for deal that doesn't bring back the right value for Murphy.

@MetsFan1962 It's not just about future costs. Look, if Murphy was even an average fielder, I'd feel much differently about giving him a longterm extension. Or if the Mets could actually afford a competitive payroll, I'd feel differently about it. But he's not and they can't. He also doesn't have much speed, doesn't have a lot of power, and his OBP is usually not significantly higher than his BA. He's a 1-tool player who's 1 tool isn't even that great (he's never hit .300 for a full season). On a team that is a financially challenged as the Mets, they're going to invest $40-$50 million to that kind of a player?

People hate hearing it, but trading a guy when his value is highest is sometimes the best thing you can do for your ball club moving forward.

@tk2120 It's very clear that Flores has run afoul of someone in Mets management. Same deal with Wally Backman. His potential is very high and the guy has never, really, been given a shot as an everyday player. You know exactly what you're gonna get with Tejada. Good defense and a .230 BA with no power. We keep seeing Tejada for the same reason we keep seeing Chris Young out there. Sandy wants to show he did not make a mistake. Hard to make a blanket statement but you have to figure the team would be at least 6-7 games better without either of these guys.

@tk2120 Flores is 22--that's all I have to say. He is clearly not ready for the big leagues and he is not the SS of the future. However, to give up on him would be ridiculous. He might hit .320 with 25 homers by the age of 27. He has a good eye, bat control and goes to right. I saw him pull a 100 mph fastball for a base hit in spring training. I don't think any other player on the Mets can do that. He is just not ready. He might go back and forth to the minors 5 more times, but that doesn't mean he will not become a an elite hitter.

@Vincent Santiago@C.K. Dexter Haven He can field his position. Average fielders make mistakes. Last year he was 23/26 on stolen bases. He is reckless at times but it is part of a net result that makes him a leading player. This was covered in ASG coverage.

@Kenneth Meltsner i'm with you there...personally, CY, & Tejada are guys we can just release and i wouldn't miss them for a second...this team with Nelson Cruz would be different (even if his numbers are adjusted to Citi), and at this point, we'd be at a spot to trade Montero/Syndegaard/Flores to Colo for Tulo..and even if its a crazy contract, he's young, marketable, and him, Wright, and Murphy make up a nice late 20's/early 30's infield...they seriously are a Tulo trade and a solid LF bat who can hit 4th away from being atop this division...its annoying how close they are, and trading Murphy does absolutely NOTHING for their future, unless they get a ML ready replacement, which they wont.

@cleonsvan thats fair..i'd love to see that..i want Flores to be our SS of the future...but, i'm not willing to trade Murphy, (a guy i know can do it) and replace him with Flores.. so all i meant was that currently, the Mets don't exactly have great leverage for trading Murphy because they need him. This isn't trade Ty Wigginton because David Wright is coming up.... It's completely different and I just hate how people view Flores as an answer... View him as an asset, as depth, and as an unproven kid... see how he develops the next 2 years or so and make your transactions based on that... Right now, he's no different than a den Dekker, Nieuwenhuis, dime a dozen type guy.

@Joe Paulson@Vincent Santiago@C.K. Dexter Haven Average fielders don't make as many mistakes as him (he's currently 8th overall in errors in baseball, and 1st among second basemen). They also have better range. He has turned himself into an opportunistic base stealer, I'll give him that. But he doesn't have great speed.

@Vee! It's not just about how many games out they are. It's also about how many teams are between them. There is a big difference between being 6 games out and in 2nd place and being 6 games out and in 5th or 6th place. Because in the latter, you're also banking on all those teams between you not getting hot either.

@tk2120@cleonsvan If Hererra lights up AAA next year the way he's lighting up AA now, would you at least then admit this is pretty similar to Ty Wiggington? (Yes, Murphy's probably a better hitter, but Ty was a better fielder to be fair).

But Yes if i had my Delorian and i set it to 88 MPH i would try and sign cruz on a 2 yr deal for 20M and i would also sign Abreu (Cuban). But since i am fresh out of plutonium and can not generate 1.21 gigawatts we are stuck with CY.

You fail to mention the Cuban defectors and Japanese players that come over and are busts

@Eddie_Dean@cleonsvan still no, because Wigginton was more replaceable than Murphy is, and Herrera isn't yet what David Wright was.... I'd love to see Herrera, but i'm comfortable knowing Murphy is currently leading the NL in hits... this team isn't at a place where trading Murphy benefits them i dont think... if Herrera is so good, why don't we flip him for something we need?

I just hate the outlook most fans have, in that we have all these prospects coming up...well, nobody cares if Brooklyn or Binghampton, or Las Vegas wins any championships....help the big club & help them today...that should be the mission.

@Karl Leopold@Eddie_Dean He's also got 11 home runs and ~40 RBIs through July. That's good production for a corner outfielder making that kind of money? And he has been incredibly vocal in his unhappiness about not playing CF. He wants out because he wants to move back to center. So the Mets are going to bring him here, pay him that kind of money for his lack of production.

@Karl Leopold@Eddie_Dean That's not what I asked you. What I asked is name the Cuban defector who came here and signed a contract like Abreu's, or Puig's, or Cespedis's that failed?

The fact that Michael Abreu defected with a marginal scouting report, got $425K from the Red Sox and never made the majors doesn't tell me anything. Name me the player scouted as highly as Tomas who came here and failed.

Who is to say that Sandy did not contact NC and he responded with i want 4 years and 60M? or even said sorry not interested in the mets at all because i know what CitiFiled does to power numbers.

Yes if i had my Delorian and i set it to 88 MPH i would try and sign cruz on a 2 yr deal for 20M and i would also sign Abreu (Cuban). But since i am fresh out of plutonium and can not generate 1.21 gigawatts we are stuck with CY

@tk2120@Eddie_Dean@cleonsvan Well, Herrera doesn't profile as the kind of hitter David Wright is. He's not a power hitter. But compare his OBP and SB totals to Wright's and he compares fairly well. Plus another thing, one thing this team is desperately missing imo is a traditional leadoff man. Well, what does Herrera profile as? A solid top of the order hitter, between his good speed and ability to get on.

The reason I wouldn't "flip" Herrera is two-fold: 1. People don't want to hear this, but this team has no money. They can't afford to move the young players they have coming up who could potentially perform on the cheap for 5 years. Maybe some pitchers since they have so many, but definitely no position players. and 2. IMHO Herrera IS something they need. A solid fielding second base prospect who could take over the leadoff position. They have other options on the roster now who could hit 2nd in Murphy's place and fill in adequately I think. TDA and Granderson just to name a couple. I don't know if there's anyone on the ML roster or in the upper portions of the minors right now, except Dilson, who profiles as a solid leadoff man though.

@Karl Leopold I just mentionned that Michel Abreu only got $425K. Anderson got $3.75 million total for 4 years. I can't find what Canizares got (which leads me to believe it wasn't much), but how is that a valid comparison to guys who got $40+ million?

@Karl Leopold@Eddie_Dean OK, 1. That was over 20 years ago. 2. Rey didn't get the kind of money, even adjusted for inflation, that the guys I mentioned got. And 3. He was still a 3-time GG winner. Not exactly a flame out.

@Karl Leopold@Eddie_Dean@tk2120@cleonsvan He's also about 150 pounds, so he's never going to be a power hitter. He doesn't walk much though and he has good speed, but not great, so I'm not sure he profiles as a prototypical leadoff hitter. But I could see him hitting 1, 2 or 7.

@Karl Leopold@Eddie_Dean@tk2120@cleonsvan I think he could profiles well as one. And it's not the worst thing in the world to have a leadoff man with some power. Didn't bother Rickey Henderson (to use the greatest example in history, of course). And Granderson's doing it now, and even though I'd rather him hit lower in the order, he's doing it better than anyone else has this year.

@Karl Leopold@Eddie_Dean And the Murphy thing is another matter. It's not that I don't think he's talented. I just think he's a lot less talented than most Met fans make him out to be. Which is fine for right now when he's only making $5-$9 million on year-to-year contracts as an arbitration player. But when it comes time to give him a big money extension, with the state of the finances of this team I'd just prefer the spend the money elsewhere.

@Karl Leopold @Eddie_Dean It has nothing to do with proven talent. It has to do with not wanting to fall into the trap of paying guys a ton of money for the production they had on other teams. Kemp has missed about 1/2 of the last 2 seasons, and I have no reason to believe he'll suddenly be healthy once he gets north of 30 if he's comes to the Mets. He's making a ton of money. He's unhappy about not playing CF anymore for guys like Ethier's and Puig's sake. How do you think he'll be in the clubhouse if the Mets start a young player like Lagares there over him? And he's not the player he used to be.

If they could get the Kemp from 2009-2011, I'd be happy even if it meant taking on his whole salary. But the guy he is now, oft injured and heading into his 30's, signed for big money, and unhappy about a position change that shouldn't be reversed if he were on the Mets? No thank you. I'll trust the scouts one more time and spend the money on the young Cuban who's 6 years or so younger and will be happy anywhere in the field they stick him.

@Karl Leopold@Eddie_Dean First of all, 3 years $12 million is still not on the same level, but at least it's closer. And even if we count it, that's still 1 example, compared to Cespedis, Abreu, Puis, and Chapman (all of whom were higher rated and got more money...)